Honey Bees In Winter

A few fun facts about how bees survive the Winter.

No doubt, you've noticed that there aren't many bees flying around in the Winter.  Most people assume that the bees hibernate over the Winter months and this accounts for their disappearance.  Actually, this is not what's happening. 

Technically, hibernation is a state of inactivity characterized by lower metabolic rate -- slower breathing, lower body temperature etc.  Bees do not undergo hibernation in Winter.  They remain active inside the hive and keep warm by clustering together in a tight ball and vibrating their wing muscles to produce heat.  This keeps the temperature of the bee cluster above 45 degrees Fahrenheit, with the center of the cluster remaining warmest (85 degrees). 

During the cold months, bees feed off of the honey and pollen they've stored during the warm season and this food provides them with the energy needed to keep the hive warm during the cold days of Winter.  During this period, the queen stops laying eggs and the population of the hive drops, leaving a skeleton crew of bees to take care of the queen and form the core of the bee colony in the Spring.

Where Bees Go In Winter:

During these colder months, bees are not visible to us because they are trapped inside the hive. In order to fly, bees need to maintain a relatively high body temperature.  When the air temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, they are not able to maintain a sufficient body temperature to fly and are, therefore, confined to the hive and not visible to people.

The below photos taken yesterday (December 2, 2011) illustrates that when the temperature is right, bees will emerge from the hive, even during the dead of Winter.  The temperature in Northern California rose into the mid-60's and this allowed the bees to leave the hive and forage for food.  I'm not sure what's in bloom at this time of the year, but the bees were able to bring back pollen which I could see on their back legs.

Here are some fun facts about Winter bees:

• Temperature when the Winter cluster forms: 57 degrees
• Temperature when worker bess can't fly: 50 degrees
• Temperature when a bee cluster dies: minus 40 degrees
• Amount of stored honey required to keep a hive alive in Winter -40 to 60 pounds depending on the length of the Winter in your area.
• Lifespan of a worker bee in Winter: 140 to 320 days (versus just 15-38 days during the summer when they are active)
• Population of bee colony during the Winter: 20,000-30,000 bees versus a Summer population of 50,000-80,000.